Beautiful Day: A Tribute to Mister Rogers

Family Communications, Inc., the production company founded by the late Fred Rogers (aka Mister Rogers), is spearheading a tribute to the iconic kid-show host on what would be his 80th birthday. This March 20, they are urging Mister Rogers' fans to show some love and wear a Rogersesque sweater in honor of the children's public television trailblazer.

Ah, Mister Rogers. Like most people, I grew up with that soft-voiced, sensible-shoe-wearing old fella. His messages and lessons were always so simple and sweet. He entertained and educated with an easy friendliness fueled by genuine warmth. Heck, even Bette Midler was a fan: when I saw her "Kiss My Brass" show a few years ago, Bette (in a red, zip-up cardigan) sang a duet with Mister Rogers magnified on a screen behind her. In this age of "reality" television, banal situation comedies, and tabloid magazine shows masquerading as news, it's easy to see why Mister Rogers remains, to this day, an appealing and authentic source of entertainment and solace.

If nothing else, he could be depended upon to provide consistency, which in and of itself is a greatly comforting gift. We all knew that when he popped in that never-locked front door, he was going to sing his signature tune. We came to rely on the gentle flourish of his hands peppering the aquarium with a sprinkling of fish food. We also knew that during some moment of our time with him, he would inevitably welcome the jittery Mr. "Speedy Delivery" McFeely into his home. And, of course, we always looked forward to The Neighborhood of Make Believe.

How I loved The Neighborhood of Make Believe. A bizarre cross section of the human and animal kingdom living in total harmony in a linoleum-floored utopia. Our journey always began with my favorite Mister Rogers character, Trolley. Mister Rogers would have an entire conversation with Trolley, who didn't talk so much as ding in reply.

Example:
Mister Rogers: "Good morning, Trolley!"
Trolley (sliding back and forth excitedly on his track): "Ding-ding-ding, ding-ding."

I'm not sure either, but c'mon, did we ever doubt that Trolley was in anything but the best of spirits?

And off we would go to The Neighborhood, presided over by the square-jawed King Friday, his wife Queen Sarah, and their son, Prince Tuesday. Henrietta the cat, adorned in a long flowing Laura Ashley number, lived in a surprisingly-ornate treehouse with her next-door neighbor, the know-it-all X (or X-ey) the Owl, just a few feet away. There was a platypus family that lived in a giant grandfather clock, and a cute little tiger named Daniel that wore a Rolex. My second favorite character, though, was definitely that old dyke Lady Elaine Fairchilde. Lady Elaine had a buzzcut and was, I suspect, an alcoholic. Her cheeks and pointy Pinocchio nose were always way too red and she tended to be on the bossy side -- not to mention the fact that she lived in a constantly-spinning museum! That would drive anyone to drink! A bottle of Jack and a handful of Secanol was probably the only way the old girl could sleep. There was also a human who oftentimes showed up in The Neighborhood, a waifish hippie named Lady Aberlin. I don't remember much about her, except that I assumed Lady Elaine, on more than one occasion, gave her a private tour of the museum. If you know what I mean.

So this March 20, wear a Mister Rogers sweater in honor of the kind-hearted host-with-the-most. If that isn't your cup of tea, then wear a burgundy tweed turtleneck in honor of the puppet world's first drunken lesbian. Either way, it's for a good cause.